Digital Commons Network^™

From Public To Private: Understanding Parental Perceptions On Middle School Transitions, Joseph P. Peeden

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents/guardians’ perceptions of their children’s transition from elementary to middle school, focusing on transitions to private middle schools and differences based on prior schooling (private versus public elementary) and gender. In this study, I addressed the lack of understanding regarding how private education transitions impacted students academically, socially, and culturally, including challenges related to social-emotional learning and cultural adjustment. I collected data from 75 parents/guardians using questionnaires and conducted 20 follow-up interviews in the Southeast United States to examine their experiences. I found that students transitioning from public schools to private …

Rogue Artificial Intelligence, Science Fiction, And The Law, Kerry L. Macintosh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neurobehavioral Mechanisms Of Psychotic-Like Experiences And Cannabis Use, Ethan Campbell

Psychology ETDs

As cannabis use has increased steadily over the past decade, there is critical need to evaluate early cannabis use as a potential risk factor for the development of psychosis. Neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying novelty salience could clarify how cannabis exposure may influence subclinical psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). The present study leveraged dynamic functional connectivity and task-fMRI to assess the role of novelty processing in cannabis use and PLEs. A group of brain regions dynamically tied to the salience network while viewing short films were found to increase their activation as a function of stimulus novelty during a novelty bandit task. PLEs were …

Guillaume Dustan's Ethico-Politics Of The Body, Noah Mertz

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

In this MA Thesis, I lay out a synthetic overview of polemical French writer Guillaume Dustan's (1965-2005) political philosophy. He is criticized first as irresponsible and dangerous for his defense of barebacking (sex without condoms) in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, and then, after his death, as a neoliberal/anarcho-capitalist for his focus on individual liberty. My overview touches on Dustan's Freudian belief that repression is the root of all social ills, his functional ethics of self-responsibility, the revaluation of heteronormative Judeo-Christian morality towards 'virtusex,' and his social contract that minimizes repression. Dustan’s goal is for you to autonomously subjectify …

Physical Education Through The Lens Of A Transgender Individual, Allison L. Graham

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Transgender students face unique challenges in K–12 physical education (PE) that other groups of students do not experience. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the life history of a transgender woman, Evergreen, with a focus on her experiences in PE throughout K-12 school. This study was guided by Queer Theory (Jagose, 1996) and Atkinson’s (1998) life history methodology, data was collected through nine semi-structured interviews and participant-selected artifacts. Data was analyzed using Merriam and Tisdell’s (2016) coding procedures to identify themes. Findings revealed distinct experiences across four areas: (1) Elementary School PE—positive memories centered on play …

Can Web-Based International Standardized Tests Be More Inclusive? A Udl Mixed-Methods Study Of Accented Tasks, Abdelbaset Haridy

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This dissertation explores the critical, yet understudied, issue of using a variety of accents/dialects within standardized listening assessments. The current study argues for a paradigm shift from dominant accent to the use of a variety of accents in foreign language testing and assessment. The shift is guided by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), World Englishes, and Intercultural Communication Theory. Following a mixed-methods design, the study compares student perceptions (N=202) and experts’ (N=64) opinions across two distinct linguistic contexts: English and Arabic. College student participants rated listening samples across nine parameters, including Fluency, Accuracy, Comprehensibility, Intelligibility, and Approachability. …

Instrumental Music Educator Strategies To Reduce Or Remove Participation Barriers For Middle School Students, Rachel A. Gorden Mercer Ed.D

Doctorate in Education

Scholars have found that students who participate in instrumental music programs achieve higher academic levels, have better attendance, and build stronger community connections than students who do not participate. This dissertation examines successful strategies for increasing participation in instrumental music programs by reducing socioeconomic barriers, enhancing instrument access, creating ensemble opportunities, and fostering a positive culture within the instrumental program for students during the middle school years. Music educators have found successful strategies to recruit and retain students despite the barriers they encounter.

Researchers have investigated the benefits of participating in instrumental music and the reasons why students discontinue their …

Efficacy Of Oil And Gas Production Site Remediation In U.S. Arid/Semi-Arid Regions, Skye Ontiveros

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Oil and gas production (OGP) is expanding, paralleled by its polluting leaks and spills (LS), and outpaced by its waste. This raises the question: Does remediation of LS occur effectively when needed to protect the environment and public, particularly in major producing regions like arid/semi-arid regions (ASAR), which account for approximately 72% of US oil and 42% of gas production? To answer, a review of the eight largest national remedial laws, sourced from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), identified 14 OGP exemptions for remedial determinants (RDs): factors affecting remedial frequency and efficacy (e.g. LS monitoring and chemical disclosure). An …

Fake News Y Redes Sociales: Cómo El Algoritmo En Torno A La Migración Afecta La Salud Mental, Maria F. Alarcon

Capstones

Las redes sociales son la principal fuente de información para migrantes latinos en Estados Unidos, pero también son un terreno fértil para fake-news que afectan la salud mental y desinforman.

“Sin Tener Que Gastar”: Un Restaurante Gourmet En Nueva York Donde Pagas Lo Que Puedas, Oscar Alberto Flores

Capstones

Community Kitchen es un restaurante piloto gourmet en el Lower East Side de Nueva York que funciona bajo un modelo de “paga lo que puedas”, creado por el reconocido periodista gastronómico Mark Bittman. Ubicado en un vecindario marcado por una profunda desigualdad económica y altos niveles de inseguridad alimentaria, el proyecto busca demostrar que la comida de alta calidad puede ser accesible para personas de todos los ingresos. A través de un menú sostenible, precios flexibles, apoyo a agricultores locales —en su mayoría BIPOC— y salarios justos para jóvenes cocineros, Community Kitchen combina gastronomía, justicia social y comunidad. En …

Halt Under Threat Why Legislators Must Demand Compliance Before Change A Playbook For Action, Vanda Seward

Capstones

This playbook examines the implementation of New York State’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act and presents evidence demonstrating that the law has not been fully or consistently enforced by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS). Drawing on findings from the New York State Inspector General, the Correctional Association of New York, the Justice Center, court rulings, and community testimony, the analysis documents persistent violations, including excessive and illegal use of solitary confinement, inadequate documentation, failures to protect vulnerable populations, and insufficient accountability for staff misconduct. The playbook critically evaluates the recommendations of …

Improving The Electrochemical Properties Of Mno2 By Doping With Fe For Water Splitting And Supercapacitor Application, Joseph Okwe

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

An Abstract of the Thesis by

Joseph Okwe

These days when the issue of energy is talked about, it is usually more than just the usefulness of different types of energy. This topic now encompasses ways of generating and storing energy in the most efficient and sustainable way. For this reason, various research has shown that materials that are fabricated for the purpose of energy storage and conversion also find applications in other areas such as water splitting and supercapacitors. And so certain materials, when synthesized, can serve more than one purpose in either generating or storing energy. This project …

Praise With Pipes And Strings: An Exploration Of American Protestant Hymnody Through New Arrangements For Flute And Piano, Dominic J. Baldoni

Dissertations, 2020-current

This project presents five hymn tunes from the American Protestant (A.P.) tradition arranged for flute and piano, accompanied by a scholarly analysis of the historical, liturgical, and practical aspects of A.P. hymnody and congregational song. The accompanying document explores the development of A.P. hymnody, the background of each selected tune, the role of instruments, primarily the flute, in worship, and the challenges faced by church musicians in the twenty-first century. By examining both vocal and instrumental iterations of these melodies throughout history, the analysis aims to inform performers and program planners about stylistic and contextual considerations for contemporary services and …

Listen To The Birds: Sound Ecology At The Piano, Anna Showalter

Dissertations, 2020-current

This document explores the intersection between birdsong and piano music using four cases studies from the piano repertoire in the Western classical tradition. Using Jeff Titon’s framework of “sound ecology” as a lens, I ask whether the following pieces of music could in some way function as an “acoustic tissue among human and bird communities that becomes the basis for a healthy economy and a just community.” After exploring the history of birdsong in the piano literature as a microcosm of shifting attitudes toward birdsong in Western art music this study focuses on four pieces as case studies for analysis—Amy …

Irregularities In The Dynamics Of Large Networks: Cases On Social Networks And The Internet, Dheeman Saha, Abdullah Mueen, Shuang Luan, Afsah Anwar, Yangsun Hong

Computer Science ETDs

Dynamic networks capture evolving relationships among entities, and irregularities in their behavior often signal significant events. This dissertation investigates such irregularities across social and infrastructural networks. First, we analyze Twitter (prior to its rebranding to X) to characterize influencers, introducing a follower-overlap similarity measure that identifies micro-influencers beyond content-based methods.

We then examine election-related irregularities by comparing suspended and non-suspended accounts during the 2020 U.S. presidential election, revealing behavioral patterns linked to misinformation and coordinated manipulation.

Next, we develop an algorithm to infer post-specific diffusion networks, reconstructing who-saw-from-whom pathways for tweets at scale. This method uncovers structural differences in diffusion …

Log Cabins, Hard Ciders, And The Misunderstood Campaign Of 1840: Looking At How The Whigs Really Created The First Modern Presidential Campaign Through Effective Storytelling, Eric V. Schesventer

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Whig party crafted the first ever modern campaign seen in American History during the campaign and subsequent presidential election of 1840. They did this not merely through the use of flashy campaign slogans and festive events as previous historians have discussed. The Whigs created the first ever modern campaign by telling both realistic and symbolic stories through the use of media narratives and physical objects crafted for the campaign. By doing this, this helped mold then candidate and future President William Henry Harrison into a candidate for all Americans, even if he was not in practice.

The Pathophysiological Role Of Mitochondrial Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1a In Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension, Megan N. Tuineau

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by increased pulmonary arterial constriction, pulmonary arterial remodeling, and right ventricular dysfunction. While metabolic and mitochondrial derangements are increasingly recognized as central pathogenic features, the underlying mechanisms and effectors are not yet fully understood. Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a proton-gated cation channel involved in the development of chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced PH. ASIC1a represents a potential candidate involved in metabolic-mitochondrial dysfunction, as metabolic byproducts can act as ligands for ASIC1a. Additionally, ASIC1a has recently been identified as a mitochondrial ion channel involved in neuronal death following oxidative stress. Therefore, we hypothesize that ASIC1a functions …

Grappling With Parenthood In 2025, Elisa Muyl

Capstones

In 2024, I became a parent for the first time. Within the first year of my child's life, president Trump was elected for a second term and came into office on the back of a right-wing project to “restore” the American family as the central unit of American life. I knew instinctively that the values and policies this project espoused would not work for my family or many others. At the same time, I was grappling with a profound sense of social alienation and the lack of structural support for new parents, exacerbated by the way that community is sustained …

“Comenzando De Nuevo”: Los Niños Migrantes Enfrentan Inestabilidad En Las Escuelas De Nyc, Adelina Romero

Capstones

This article documents how housing instability and frequent shelter relocations are disrupting the education of migrant children in New York City public schools. Through in-depth reporting centered on a Venezuelan family living in a Midtown shelter, as well as interviews with teachers, librarians, and advocates, the project demonstrates how frequent moves lead to reduced enrollment, academic delays, and emotional strain among English Language Learners. The reporting presents individual experiences within broader citywide trends, such as declining school enrollment and gaps in mandated services for multilingual students. As schools struggle to provide adequate instruction, public libraries have emerged as one of …

The Remnants Of Nyc's Asylum Shelters, Charles Finnerty

Capstones

Since the spring of 2022, over 200,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in New York City. For three years, the Eric Adams administration’s response shifted constantly, from welcoming new arrivals with open arms, to clashing with the Biden White House over federal support, to collaborating with the Trump administration’s mass deportation regime

Behind all these headlines and political fights, the city’s outer borough neighborhoods have absorbed new arrivals in school systems, gig work economies and over 150 shelters. Local government and corporate news media have largely failed to inform the public about the city's shelter program, allowing confusion and …

Inside Tv’S Reckoning With Writing About Race, Anushka Dakshit

Capstones

In the face of rollbacks in DEI initiatives across the entertainment industry, television writers, producers, and critics discuss how racial representation behind the scenes can impact nuanced storytelling in front of the camera. In the early 2010s Lena Dunham's "Girls" received criticism for in the early 2010s for its lack of racial representation. In 2025, "Southern Fried Rice," produced by Keke Palmer, received controversy for its lack of sensitivity towards the representation of Black women. Critics, writers, and cultural strategists weigh in on what authentic representation looks like throughout all of the stages of the television development process. Link to …

New Yorkers Training, Mobilizing To Protect Immigrants As Federal Crackdown Intensifies, Cristina Ledra, Andrew Serulneck

Capstones

As the Trump administration escalates deportation efforts nationwide, New York City is bracing for increased enforcement, with advocates warning that fear of deportation raids is already reshaping daily life for immigrant communities. New York protesters have not yet faced the most severe federal charges following high-profile confrontations, as protesters have in other states around the country. And the federal cases are largely falling apart and not resulting in trials or convictions. Despite the legal threat, some advocates see the moment as galvanizing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQrUcmMi4XgxnkjMV-h58Cp3RTxfmIEt95H79uo7CDFlYD5lo59QylxoWozHJhBhlxHCzA98XHnwX7-/pub

The Box Office Keeps Disappointing. Indie Movie Theaters Keep Selling Tickets Anyway., Ella Feldman

Capstones

It’s been a tough five years at the box office, which has yet to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and the explosion of streaming options. But across the country, independent movie theaters have managed to buck the trend, according to industry data and interviews with theater operators. This feature story explores how indie cinemas have staged their post-pandemic comebacks.

Building Another World, Christopher Edwards

Capstones

"Another World" is a mutual aid hub in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The space was opened in June 2025 and is ran by the Crown Heights Care Collective, a mutual aid network started in 2022. Another World hosts free events surrounding political education and provides basic needs like food and clothing to residents of the area. In just a few months, the group has made inroads in a diverse community altered by gentrification.

Knowledge Production As Identity Expression: A Third-Space Perspective On Sustainable Careers, Alicja Syska

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This conceptual paper advances our understanding of sustainable careers by focusing on the knowledge creation activities of third-space practitioners in higher education. Specifically, we apply and extend the Process Model of Sustainable Careers to examine how different forms of knowledge production in three different institutional and national contexts – writing for publication, practice-based expertise, and curriculum development – contribute to career sustainability at the intersection of academic and professional/administrative roles and domains. The critical element of this extension is ‘identity expression’ in the form of knowledge production, which acts as an integrating mechanism that flows through and connects the original …

Diplomacy Derailed: Discrimination’S Detour On Route 40, Gage A. Kivlen

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The 1961 Route 40 campaign in Maryland became a critical battleground where three competing approaches to addressing racial segregation revealed deep contradictions in Cold War America. Route 40, a major highway between Washington D.C. and New York, became an international embarrassment when African diplomats from newly independent nations were repeatedly refused service at restaurants and hotels. This crisis prompted responses from three distinct actors: the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which employed grassroots organizing and direct action; the State Department's Special Protocol Service Section (SPSS), which pursued top-down diplomatic solutions; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which conducted extensive …

Paper Straws At Usd, Rodrigo J. Mor Gimeno

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This learning journal reflects my experience throughout the semester learning about sustainability, climate change, and supply chains. Through class discussions, documentaries, and assignments, I explored topics such as carbon footprint, circular economy, ethics, and life cycle analysis. The paper on plastic straws and the group life cycle project helped me understand how everyday products have environmental, social, and economic impacts, and how consumer choices and global systems are strongly connected.

Pembuktian Sederhana Dalam Proses Kepailitan Terhadap Perusahaan Pengembang Pasca Surat Edaran Mahkamah Agung Nomor 3 Tahun 2023, Maya Iswandi

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

After the issuance of Sema No. 3/2023, there were various pros and cons to its implementation. This is because the sema has limited and in quotes has protected development companies from bankruptcy proceedings. Sema No. 3/2023 provides immunity to development companies from bankruptcy because they are deemed not to meet the simple proof that must be met in the bankruptcy process. This provision seems to deny the judicial system that should determine the evidence in a case. This certainly causes degradation of legal certainty and consumer protection. Therefore, this research will discuss simple proof in development companies after the …

Prevention Of Suicide As Perceived By Educated Adults In Ondo Metropolis, Ondo State, Nigeria, Margaret Kehinde Soetan

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

This study investigated prevention of suicide as perceived by educated adults in Ondo metropolis, Ondo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Population of the study consisted of all educated adults in Ondo metropolis, Ondo State. The sample comprised two hundred (200) educated adults randomly selected from the metropolis. Structured questionnaire was used as instrument to collect data for the study. Data collected was analysed using mean, ranking, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed the perception of prevention of suicide as giving people hope for a better life after current problems are resolved, …

Needs Analysis: Ar As An Innovative Learning Media Solution For Elementary School Students, Rosfaniarti Rosfaniarti, Makmum Raharjo, Meilinda Meilinda

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study aims to identify the need for the development of Augmented Reality (AR)-based learning media as an innovative solution in elementary school learning. The needs analysis method was conducted using a mixed methods approach through questionnaires and interviews with 103 students and 5 teachers. The data were analyzed descriptively and quantitatively to obtain a comprehensive picture of instructional needs. The results showed that student needs were in the high category, with a percentage of 80.64%-85.30%. The socio-cultural aspect was the highest need (85.30%), followed by the pedagogical and technical aspects, while the cognitive aspect had the lowest value (80.64%). …